Red hooded Drifter
by MementoMori115
Summary: The war was over. Salem was dead, slain by Ruby Rose. But the Huntress was gravely wounded as a result of the battle. As she made her escape, she suddenly arrived in a mysterious hallway. The man who sat behind a desk in the hall then sent her to a new land. A land in need of her particular talents. Darker, more mature Ruby.


**A/N- So I recently watched Drifters, loved it, noticed a lack of xovers, and decided to write one. This xover will feature a darker, more mature Ruby Rose. I really hope you guys like this.**

 **Be sure to leave a review.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

It was all over. The source of all evil, the progenitor of the Grimm was finally dead.

20 year old Ruby Rose stood over the lifeless body of Salem. She was breathing heavily and blood was trickling down her face. A gash in her side was spilling out blood at a rapid rate. She was not long for this world.

And yet she pushed onward. The champion of the silver-eyed warriors trudged on, heading towards the exit to the foul citadel that Salem called her home. She had friends waiting for her to return.

"Come on Ruby, just a little further. You can do this. The team's waiting for you." she said to herself, prodding her body forward. She grabbed her pack off the ground and continued on her way. If she didn't get somewhere safe and patch herself up soon, then she wasn't liable to see her friends again.

Her vision was starting to blur. With each blink she continued to lose focus, the ever encroaching darkness filling her view. In response to this her Aura worked overtime to try and mend her wounds, but she would still need medical attention.

"Come on. Gotta keep moving." left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot... left foot... right foot... left foot... right foot... left f-

"Next please."

"Hnn?" Ruby grunted as she looked up. Somewhere along the way she stopped paying attention to her surroundings, but she had no idea where she was or how she ended up here. She was in a long white hallway of sorts with various doors lining the walls. In the center of the hall was a mysterious man sitting at a desk. His blue eyes held a certain other-worldliness about them, and they were staring right at Ruby.

"W-who are you?" she asked. "And where am I?"

The man regarded her with a glance before looking down at the paperwork on his desk. He pulled out a pen and wrote something down.

Ruby then began to feel a pull coming from the side. She gazed in the direction of it and saw one of the doors had opened and was now sucking her in.

"What going on?!" she shouted as she struggled against the vacuum suction. But alas, she was too weak to fight it and was pulled into the darkness of the door.

 **(-)**

When Ruby opened her eyes again she was in some sort of clearing in a forest. The darkness and chill in the air told her it was nighttime. She pushed herself up off the ground with a groan.

"Fuck... What happened?"

She then remembered her battle with the Queen of Darkness and her subsequent encounter with the strange man. Gripping her side, Ruby found that she was still bleeding and in need of immediate care.

"Shit, I guess I'll have to do it here." Ruby muttered as she began disrobing. She pulled off her top until she was down to her bra, allowing her an unobstructed view of her wound. Pulling out an emergency medical kit from her pack, she applied some anesthetic along with some alcohol swabs to the gash. She winced in pain from the sting of the alcohol and promptly rolled up some cloth and put it in her mouth to bite down on. After that was done, she took out a suture kit and began sewing the wound closed. Once she was satisfied with her work, she applied some medical salve and bandaged up her work.

"Ahh... finally finished." she sighed in relief as she fell backwards. However when she fell on the ground, she looked up to see a curious sight. The moon. It was whole.

"... Where the hell am I?"

 **(-)**

Hiking through unknown territory at night was not something Ruby Rose was unused to, but she still would have preferred the light of day to accompany her. Especially considering she wasn't on Remnant anymore. That was the only explanation she could come up with given the appearance of a whole moon. Whoever that strange man was, he must have been the one to send her here... wherever here was.

Ruby reached into her bag and pulled out a cookie. One of the few rations she had left, it wasn't the most healthy of choices, but her sweet tooth required her to carry a few on her person at any given time. Taking a bite out of the sweet, she kept up her steady pace as she searched for any signs of civilization or shelter. She wasn't too keen on finding out if the local wildlife was hostile or not when she was at a disadvantage. So her first priority was finding a place to wait out the night.

As she walked, she stumbled and fell to the ground, her body still weak from her injuries. "Gah! Damn it!" she cursed as she picked herself back up. "Come on... You can rest when you're dead..."

After what seemed like hours, Ruby finally happened upon shelter. It was an abandoned looking castle that had seen far better days. The majority of it had crumbled away and only the main building remained along with some of the walls.

A snap caught the Huntresses attention and she spun around with Crescent Rose drawn. "Who's there?!" she shouted as she took aim.

Standing on a branch high in a tree was a man. He had long, black hair that was tied in a ponytail and wore a blue and white outfit. In his hands was a bow with the arrow drawn back.

" _State your intentions for approaching our refuge."_

Ruby let out an inaudible groan. He was speaking Mistrali. Not exactly a language she was an expert at, but she knew enough to get by.

"Uhh, looking for shelter. Wounded, need place to recover." she answered.

"Hmm? You know our language?" the man asked.

"Little. Not first language." she responded.

"So you do not hail from the land of the rising sun?"

'What's he talking about? Land of the rising sun?' Ruby thought. Either way she was not from wherever he was talking about.

"No. Me from Kingdom of Vale."

"Vale?" the man said questioningly.

"Yes. I fight war, wounded. Then mysterious man send me here."

"Yoichi!" a man called out from inside the castle. "Who is it?!"

"Another one like us. However she is not from our land." the now dubbed Yoichi answered.

"Ahh, someone else who has encountered that queer man. Well, if she's not hostile then bring her in. The more the merrier."

Yoichi relaxed his stance and removed the arrow from his bow. "Are you here to fight?"

Ruby lowered Crescent Rose and holstered it on her back. "No. Just need place to stay. And find out where I am."

"Hmm, then you are welcome to join us in. It seems that we three have some things in common." Yoichi said as he climbed down the tree.

"Thank you." Ruby said as she followed Yoichi into the castle. Once inside, she was greeted by another man, this one older in appearance. He had long, black hair as well and wore a white shirt with black pants. He had a faint beard and an eye-patch covering his right eye. Hanging above where he sat was a banner that had a flower-like symbol printed on it.

"Well, seems like you found quite the looker Yoichi." said the man with a grin. "And such other-worldly clothes, I guess she really isn't from our country."

"And you are?" asked Ruby.

"Don't you know it's rude to ask for someones name before introducing yourself first? Besides, we're opening up our hearts to shelter you for the night. Giving us your name would be the least you could do."

"Name Ruby Rose." she answered. "And you?"

"Heh, I am known as Oda Nobunaga, the leader of the Oda clan. Perhaps you've heard of me? I'm sure my name has spread far and wide over the years." spoke the man looking smug.

"Never heard of you." Ruby deadpanned.

"W-wha?! Really?!" the man sputtered. "The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven?! You've never heard of me?!"

"Nope." Ruby answered as she popped the 'p'.

"Urgh, well whatever. I guess you just lived out in the sticks or something." Nobunaga said as he waved Ruby off. "So, it seems that you were brought to this world by the mysterious man as well, correct?"

"If you mean man in strange hallway, yes."

"Well, I suppose that puts the three of us in the same boat."

"And what boat that be?" asked Ruby.

"Hmm, not exactly sure yet. Neither me nor Yoichi have really thought about what we should do since having come here. Yoichi has been performing recon on the nearby village, trying to learn their language. So until we can understand the populace we are at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of everything." Nobunaga explained. "We've been able to hunt for food and the like in the forest, but eventually we'll need to venture out from our little fortress here for supplies."

"Hmm, I see. I short on supplies as well." Ruby said as she laid out her pack. She opened it up to take stock of her supplies. It was less than ideal. Only 4 clips of standard armor piercing ammo for Crescent Rose, half a clip of exploding rounds, a handful of elemental Dust rounds of varying types, several Dust crystals, maintenance tools for her weapon, 1 mre, and the remains of her medical kit.

Ruby watched as Nobunaga picked up one of the ammo clips and looked it over. "What's this box-thing?"

Ruby took it back from him and popped out one of the bullets. "Ammo clip. Holds bullets that feed into gun for repeated fire."

"Repeated fire?"

Ruby then mimed holding a gun. "Bang, bang, bang! Before reload." she explained.

"Hmm, interesting." Nobunaga grinned madly. "So that thing there is a gun that can fire repeatedly?" he asked as he pointed at Crescent Rose.

Ruby then picked up her precious weapon and held it up for him to see. "Bolt-action rifle." she said as she showed him how the bolt-action worked, ejecting a round from the chamber. She caught the bullet in the air and tossed it to him. "I take it you not see bullets like this. Only black powder weapons."

"Yeah, something like that." Nobunaga said as he examined the bullet. "How does this work?"

Ruby racked her brain to think of how to explain it. "Black powder inside cylinder. Pin hits bottom, ignites primer, fires bullet."

"Heh, I would have killed to have something like this back where I'm from. A single soldier could take on an entire army with weapons like this."

"That not all." Ruby said as she gestured for Nobunaga and Yoichi to step back. She then activated the mech-shift for Crescent Rose and turned it into its scythe form. Both of the men stood in shocked silence. "This true form of Crescent Rose. High-caliber sniper-scythe."

"Heh... heh, heh, heh..." Nobunaga began cackling madly. "This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship!"

"Me take it you like weapons?"

"Oh, that is an understatement." replied Nobunaga. "I am a man who lives for weapons! How I would ensure my forces were always equipped with the proper tools for the job, it only goes to show how meticulous I was in the planning of my battles."

"You commander?" Ruby inquired.

"Why yes, as a matter of fact I am. I used to command armies 100,000 strong in my quest to unite all of Japan. And I have no doubt in my mind that I would have eventually succeeded had I not been betrayed."

"What about you?" Ruby asked as she turned to Yoichi.

"I was not a commander myself. Rather, I was an elite soldier who fell many enemies. I am a peerless archer whose skill is unmatched." the archer answered.

"And what of you?" asked Nobunaga. "What is your story?"

"Me elite warrior who fight against forces of Darkness. Creatures hell-bent on the extermination of human race and leader who sought to conquer world."

"Hmm, so someone else had a shared goal in mind as mine." Nobunaga mused as he scratched his chin. "Although it sounds like they weren't doing it for the good of the world."

Ruby nodded. "Correct. They want to destroy and rule."

"Destruction is a natural result of conquest, but waging a war simply for the sake of it is a waste." spoke Nobunaga. "Sure you can crush all opposition in your wake to ensure there won't be any revolts, but if your over-all goal is destruction then that is something I can't stand behind. A ruler requires subjects to guide and control. Killing them all gets you nowhere."

"Agreed. If ones goal is the extermination of all mankind, then they must not be allowed to succeed. What exactly would they do upon reaching their goal anyway?" said Yoichi.

Ruby shook her head. "In the end, we not know her reasons. Simply drive to kill."

"Well that's all over now." spoke Nobunaga. "Regardless of how the war ended, you're stuck here with us now. Might as well get comfortable. We're in it for the long haul."

"Me tired. Is there room for me here?" Ruby asked.

"Sure, second door on the left." Nobunaga answered as he pointed down the hall.

"Thank you." Ruby said as she took her leave.

 **(-)**

It had been a few days since Ruby had ended up in this new world and it was taking some getting used to. Her company was friendly at the very least, though each of them lacked an exact goal at the current moment. It was unlikely that they would be able to return to their original worlds, so that option was out. Obviously that strange man must have sent them here for a reason.

Ruby stood perched in a tree on the edge of the forest. She gazed through Crescent Rose's scope at the nearby village. It was inhabited by a curious race known as elves. Ruby had only ever heard of their kind from fairy tales, so it was a bit of a shock to actually see them.

However it was strange. The elves she knew of were a race that liked to stick to the forests and hunt. These elves were living outside the forest and seemed to be farmers instead. The concept confused her. Were her fairy tales that far off in their stories of the elves?

Regardless, she noticed a few things about them. They all had a somber look on their faces. Almost as if they were suffering from something. There was also the lack of any women. As far as Ruby could tell, only men seemed to inhabit the village. Where were the women? Were they in a separate village? Ruby was left with more questions than answers, and until she learned their language she would be unable to get those answers easily.

The sun was beginning to set so Ruby packed up her stuff and headed back towards the castle. The past few days she had spent performing recon throughout the forest and the surrounding areas, looking for anything of importance. Her searches turned up relatively empty as the area was seemingly abandoned. There were a few more ruins in the forest, but other than that she found nothing noteworthy.

"Hahh, I wonder just what we're supposed to be doing here?" she wondered aloud as she made her way back to the castle.

Upon arriving she was yet again greeted by Nobunaga. The man wasn't one to actively go out and do things, rather he was the plotter who would draw up plans and stay back whilst they unfolded. The past few days he had been absorbed in trying to figure out the workings of the bullet that Ruby had gifted him. He wanted to figure out if he could reproduce it for his own weapon. Sure, Ruby knew exactly how to make ammunition and the like, but she felt that giving the old man something to do was productive in a way. Eventually she would give him the proper instructions.

"I see you've returned." spoke Nobunaga. "Find anything interesting today?"

Ruby shook her head. "No such luck. Still wondering why we here."

Nobunaga shrugged. "Perhaps it was just the whim of the mysterious man... Is what I'd like to say. But everything has a purpose. We just haven't found it yet."

Ruby sighed as she sat down and leaned Crescent Rose up against the wall. "Just hope find soon. I don't like running around aimlessly."

"Hnn, I know what you mean." Nobunaga said as he leaned back. "But I have a feeling that something interesting is gonna happen soon."

"If you say so." Ruby said as she pulled out an energy bar and took a bite from it.

As the two sat in silence for a while, they heard a commotion coming from outside. They could hear Yoichi shouting at someone in the lands native tongue. "Hey! Yoichi! What did we miss?!" Nobunaga called out.

"The villagers, they dragged a dying man to our door! One of us I'd wager. However his clan crest is not one I'm familiar with." answered the archer.

"Dying, or dead?"

"His breathing is faint but he still clings to life."

"A common flaw that." responded the aged commander. "We shall do what we can with needle and thread. Right Ruby?"

"I'll do my best." she spoke.

"Fate may be capricious enough to let him survive... Just as it did us." Nobunaga said as he twirled the bullet in his fingers. "Our lives are intriguing, are they not? A clever bit of kabuki."

Ruby headed out to help Yoichi carry the man inside. He wore red and black armor and had black side-swept hair. In one hand he gripped a katana as well as had another sheathed at his side along with a matchlock pistol. Ruby and Yoichi laid him down on top of a blanket on the floor and Ruby began to undress him.

" _Tch, he's got several stab wounds in his torso along with some lacerations. None of the stabs went all the way though, but they are still pretty bad. He may not even survive long enough for me to stitch him up."_

"So? How bad is it?" asked Nobunaga.

Ruby switched back from her native language. "He hurt bad. May not survive surgery. Have to give him healing boost."

"Healing boost?" Yoichi said questioningly.

Ruby put her hand to the mans head and started reciting. _"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of glory and virtue to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."_

The two Japanese watched in awe as Ruby began to faintly glow red before the light transferred to the man as well. Before their very eyes, the mans wounds started to sew themselves close. It didn't affect all of his injuries, but it was enough to stabilize him.

"What... was that?" asked Nobunaga.

"I unlock Aura. It give him power of soul. Able to heal minor wounds and protect from harm among other things." explained Ruby as she took out her medical kit. "Now he stable enough for me to work." she said as she began applying alcohol to sterilize the wound.

"Hmm, interesting..." muttered Nobunaga with a grin. "The power of the soul? Is that like magic?"

"No." Ruby answered as she started to stitch the mans wounds closed. "It is the energy of the soul made manifest. I explain more later when not busy."

"Fair enough." replied Nobunaga. "Yoichi, why don't you go hunt some food for us? I'm sure our guest will be hungry when he wakes up."

"Good idea. I will get right on it." he said as he left.

After a short while, Ruby was finished patching up the man and wrapped some bandages around him. "Phew, he should be fine now." she said as she wiped her brow. The man was sleeping peacefully and his breathing was stable. "I'm going to rest now. Wake me if something comes up." Ruby said as she headed for her room.

 **(-)**

"Father wait!" Toyohisa shouted as he lurched upwards from his resting place.

"Well... look who's up." came a voice.

Toyohisa turned to the source and saw a man wreathed in the shadows cast by the roaring fire next to him.

"I'd advise you to take it easy. We stitched you up, but you're still in a bad way." the man said.

Toyohisa quickly grabbed his sword and drew it from the sheathe, lunging forward at the man as he did so. "Who the hell are you?! Talk!"

"Boy you are in no shape to demand a name." the man responded as he quickly pulled out a matchlock pistol. The two combatants froze in position. Toyohisa with his blade at the mans neck, and the man with his gun barrel pressed against Toyohisa's forehead. "I, on the other hand am. Who are you and where did you come from?"

Toyohisa took a moment to consider his answer, but his eyes caught something important. There was a banner hanging above the mans head. "The Mokkou Crest..." he spoke in a hushed tone. "I know this much; you're a member of the Oda."

"Member huh?" the man scoffed. "I'm a fair sight more than that. I am the source of the clans moniker."

"What are you trying to say?!"

"I am he who tried to unite our land of the rising sun... Oda Nobunaga!"

Toyohisa snapped and swung his blade at the man, who ducked underneath.

"You've some strength, for a damn fool." Nobunaga said as he got back up and leveled his gun at Toyohisa.

"You aim too high impostor." Toyohisa said mockingly. "Nobunaga is dead. even the lowest of peasant knows of his fate. The lie you look to sell, no man alive would buy it. Which means that I must be dead... and you are a devil sent to vex me!" he shouted as he charged Nobunaga once again. But he found his progress halted by a curved blade that hooked around his neck.

"I appreciate it if you not kill friend. I did patch you up and that is least you can do." came a cold female voice.

Toyohisa turned his head to catch a glimpse at the woman who currently had him in checkmate. She was a somewhat petite thing wearing an unusual outfit of red, black, and white. Short black hair with streaks of red fell down to her neck, and the right side of her bangs framed her face. The otherwise beautiful face she had was marred by a single scar that ran down her left cheek and over her lips. But the most notable thing about her were her piercing silver eyes. Her weapon was a strange looking scythe that was currently poised to take off his head.

"Oh, did I interrupt something?" came a new voice. The group turned to see another man enter the castle. "Nice to see that our guest is awake. That is good." he said as he made his way over to the group and stood between Toyohisa and Nobunaga. "Looking better than when we dragged you in here." he then pulled out a dead wild bird from his pack and held it in front of Nobunaga. "I'll cook it for dinner, but someone has to pluck it."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." the man grumbled as he took the bird and started plucking its feathers.

The girl removed her scythe from Toyohisa's neck and grabbed a bird as well to start plucking.

Toyohisa looked on in confusion, the dangerous aura from moments ago having dispersed.

"Got time on your hands?" asked the newcomer.

"Uhh, yeah."

"Then start earning your keep." he said as handed Toyohisa a bird.

Soon enough all four were plucking the birds that the man had hunted, a rather awkward atmosphere in the air.

"What the pluck?" remarked Toyohisa.

 **(-)**

The group watched as their meal cooked over the open fire, Toyohisa having gotten back into his armor and the other three having settled down.

"You said that everyone knew that Nobunaga was dead." started Nobunaga. "People really do think I met my end that day, huh?"

"Him!" corrected Toyohisa. "Not you. He slit his belly after Akechi's betrayal at Honno-ji temple. Sure they never found his corpse, but it's been 18 years."

"What?!" bellowed Nobunaga. "18 years you said?! Who's the charlatan now huh? I was sent to this world that very day, and I'll be damned if more then a handful of months have passed since my unexpected exile!"

Toyohisa grumbled. "That's why I keep telling you; insisting on your story means you're either a devil or a madman. Though I suppose you could be a ghost."

The blue-clad archer began giggling mirthfully at the antics of the duo. "I'm sorry. It amuses me to watch grown men squabble over the passages of time so trifling a sum of months or years."

"And who are you, oh amused one?"

"Heh, tell him. Not that he'll believe a word of it." said Nobunaga.

"Hmm, fine. I am Yoichi. Nasu Suketaka Yoichi to be more specific."

"Do you take me for a fool?!" bellowed Toyohisa. "He was a hero from the Ginpei war! That was over 400 years ago! At least this scoundrel tried for a lie that was reasonable!" he shouted as he pointed at Nobunaga.

"Such a pity you find my identity wanting. Nonetheless I am that self-same Yoichi of yore." responded the archer.

"Oh yeah? And what about her?" Toyohisa asked as he pointed to the only female in the room.

The woman in question grinned in response. "Ruby Rose. Not that it mean anything to you."

"Why's she talking like she's got a speech impediment?"

"Japanese isn't her first language. She's from somewhere different from the rest of us. Though she knows enough of the language to get by." answered Yoichi.

"I must be dreaming." muttered Toyohisa.

"Alright then..." Nobunaga started as he sat down. "Tell us where you hail from dreamer."

"I am Shimazu. Shimazu Toyohisa." he said with conviction. "Son of Shimazu Ieahisa."

"Shimazu ehh..." Nobunaga said as he mulled over the clan name in his head. "Who are they?" he asked as an image of Japan appeared behind him. "I don't see them anywhere, does anyone? Are we even sure they're in Japan?" he then spotted them at the edge of Japan's southern territory. "Oh there they are. Way down in the ass end of Kyushu. That place is about as bodice as you can get."

"I'll kill you!" shouted Toyohisa.

"Come to think of it the name Shimazu rings a bell." spoke Yoichi. "There was a lord Shimazu back in my day. If memory serves, he lived in the wilds of Kyushu too. I see. Your family's lived out in the boonies for centuries."

"That's it! You're both dead!"

"You can try, but you'd be the only fatality." Yoichi informed him. "It'd be a real shame after Ruby went through all the trouble to stitch you up."

"He looks too stubborn to die." remarked Nobunaga.

"Plus I did good job." added Ruby.

"Tell me something 'Nobunaga', everyone thinks you died at Honno-ji temple. How could you escape that?" Toyohisa asked.

"Well... I wasn't going to lose my head to the likes of Akechi, so I sped through the temple with Ranmaru fast at my heels, looking for any means of escape. Suddenly the temple was nowhere to be seen. I found myself in a hall of white, countless doors standing sentiment to either side. And in the middle, a mysterious man seemed to hold court. And then... Well, I'm sure you experienced the same thing. Being pulled into a mysterious door of darkness."

"Ah yes. That man. I encountered him as well." added Yoichi.

"And I too." said Ruby.

Toyohisa was shocked. "It's uncanny how alike all our stories are! After the battle of Sekigahara, I beheld him too!"

"Sekigahara?" spoke Nobunaga. "Where is that, in Mino?"

"Yep. Ishida and Tokugawa's men fought it out." Toyohisa informed.

"WHAAAAAA!? Hold on! What the hell did you say?!" yelled Nobunaga. "Ishida's a little freaking toad! What would Tokugawa be doing wasting his time on the likes of him?!"

"We had no choice. After the regent died the nation slipped back into civil war." Toyohisa answered.

"Regent?! Did you say regent?! Why the hell did the country have a regent in the first place?!"

"Because Hideyoshi could never be shogun so his konpaku(1) still held all the cards."

"HIDEYOSHI! Son of a-! How could that little monkey accomplish what I could not?!"

"I don't have time for a history lesson!" Toyohisa bit back. "Hideyoshi defeated Akechi, destroyed Shibata, and then conquered Japan! End of story, that's all you get!"

"Did Katsuie perish in the meantime?! What about Oichi?!"

"I don't know!"

"Niawa?! Kazumasu?! Toshiie?!"

Ruby leaned over to Yoichi. "I completely lost. You?"

"I'm afraid that I know none of these people as well." answered the Ginpei hero.

"Stop throwing names at me! These days the Oda are just Ieyasu's lackeys! No one cares about your clan anymore!" shouted Toyohisa.

"You better watch your tongue!" barked Nobunaga.

Eventually they both calmed down at sat around the fire once more.

"One more name. My eldest son, Nobutada. What of him?" asked Nobunaga.

"He's dead. Mitsuhide cornered him at Nijou Palace... But he did your memory proud. He fought to the bitter end. Even when he knew the battle was lost."

Nobunaga grinned. Then he began to chuckle. And then he started to laugh. "How dare he die before me!" Nobunaga said as he began to clench his fists. "A son should be the one to mourn his father." his face turned somber. "He should have made his way to safety. Honor be damned."

The group remained silent as Nobunaga mourned his son.

"A man is given fifty years of life. Fifty years spent in vain." he spoke as he gazed into the fire. "I wasted my entire life."

"... Only uncertainty is certain." spoke Yoichi. "I remember my shock when lord Nobunaga told me of the fall of the Minamoto clan and the eventual destruction of the Kamakura Shogunate as well."

"At least you know of what happened after your final battles." spoke Ruby. "I not even from same place as you. So no idea what happened after I 'died'."

 **(-)**

It was late at night. All was calm. However it wouldn't last. Toyohisa and Nobunaga shot up out of their bedrolls and ran towards the castle doorway. There they were greeted by Yoichi and Ruby.

"So you noticed as well?" asked the Archer.

"I smell it." answered Toyohisa.

"There's carnage in the air tonight." spoke Nobunaga.

"The scent of death and fire." added Ruby. "Blood is spilling and smoke rising." she said as she pointed at the pillars of smoke in the distance.

"I'd wager it's the nearby village." guessed Nobunaga. "Bandits are probably sacking the town, burning everything in their wake. The elves are under attack."

"What are elves?" asked Toyohisa.

"They are an odd little folk who live beyond the edge of the forest. As it turns out, it was two of them who dragged you here as you were dying."

And with that, Toyohisa took off.

"Hey!" Nobunaga called out. "Damn it Toyohisa! What are you doing?!"

"I don't know what this place is or how I got here! Maybe this is a fever dream or maybe I'm a corpse! But alive or dead, Shimazu Toyohisa can fight! So I'll do the only thing I can do, and that's charge ahead!" shouted the samurai.

"And he's off, running into trouble." muttered Nobunaga, who was left behind along with Yoichi and Ruby. "Never mind that he was just stitched back together. He's got the temperment of a musket ball."

"Maybe that's just what we need right now." Ruby said with a grin.

The trio exploded forward. "Onward!" cried Nobunaga.

As Toyohisa ran through the forest, he noticed the rest of the group catching up. "Good of you to join us Nobunaga! Should we slow down for you? I thought the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven would be lighter on his feet!"

"Bastard! We'll see how fast you run when you're pushing fifty!"

"And what of you Toyohisa? How old are you?" asked Yoichi.

"Thirty. You?"

Yoichi merely grinned smugly in victory at the fact that he was the youngest at nineteen.

"What're you so smug about?! I'm still in the bloom of youth damn it!"

"The history books left out the part about Yoichi being a huge dick." spoke Nobunaga.

"Me twenty." added Ruby, feeling left out.

"Oh, so I only just have you beat." remarked Yoichi.

As the group continued their sprint, they spotted two elves up ahead who were heading towards them. They were bloodied and crying out for help in their native tongue, several foot soldiers chasing after them. Suddenly a man on horseback leaped into view, he was chasing them and aiming to impale them with his spear. However as he grew closer he spotted Toyohisa and company running right at him. Nobunaga aimed his gun at the man and fired. The bullet went straight through his head, killing him instantly. As the body fell to the ground, the remaining soldiers faltered in their charge.

Toyohisa and Ruby ran past the two elves and headed straight for the soldiers. "Thanks for the save!" Toyohisa shouted as he passed the elves. He then proceeded to cut down the enemy soldiers, chopping off their heads in the process. Locking blades with the last soldier, the two faced off in a match of strength. "Your head, I want it. Give it to me!"

" _W-what the hell?! Who is this monster?!"_ shouted the soldier.

Eventually the Toyohisa's katana sliced straight through the soldiers broadsword and then decapitated him.

Meanwhile Ruby had continued on towards the village.

 **(-)**

The village was burning, the smoke making it hard to see and breath. All of the elves had been rounded up by the knights who were now culling their numbers, killing those they deemed expendable.

" _Sir! It's an emergency!" one of the soldiers called out to the commander._

" _What is it?" asked the commander._

" _There's a fire in the wheat fields!"_

" _What the hell?!" he bellowed. "It's before the harvest time! We'll lose tax money! Hurry up and put it out!"_

" _It's too late sir! The fire has spread too much!"_

" _Damn it! The lord won't like this."_

As the commander gazed into the fire, he could faintly make out a figure. It seemed to be running towards them. The figure was shadowed from the fire, their appearance looking rather unsettling. Especially given their attire. They wore a hooded cloak that flowed as they ran, but the most frightening thing about them, was the large scythe they were wielding.

" _DRIFTER!" shouted the commander._

" _What the hell is that?! A reaper?!"_

" _It's Death! He has come for us!"_

In one moment the reaper appeared to be far away, but then in a burst of speed it was right on top of them soldiers. It swung its scythe horizontally and cut two men cleanly in half, their blood splattering across the ground. Then the reaper disappeared in another burst of speed and was on the other side of the soldiers formation. By now it was evident that the reaper was a woman given her figure, but that wasn't making anyone feel like their odds of survival were increasing.

The woman now stood between the soldiers and the elves. Looking back, she saw that at least a dozen elves had been slain. She grit her teeth in anger. "You, you monsters! How dare you kill the unarmed!" she shouted in rage as she spun her scythe. "None of you will leave this place alive!"

And with that... she descended upon them like the reaper she was emulating.

 **(-)**

 **1\. I base the dialogue on the dub of the anime script. This word wasn't in the subtitles so I'm not sure if it's right.**


End file.
